Credit for Prior Learning (Non-Traditional Credit)

Delgado Community College may award college credit for knowledge gained through private study and/or work experience. These credits are typically referred to as credit for prior learning (non-traditional credit) and also include the award of credit for non-credit coursework.

Specific policies and procedures have been established for the granting of college credit for prior learning (from non-traditional sources):

A student must be enrolled in a degree/certificate-seeking program beyond the official 14th day of enrollment in order to request prior learning (non-traditional) credit. Credits may be requested only for courses that are offered by Delgado.

The prior learning (non-traditional) credit granting process must be requested and completed by the midterm of the semester in which it has been requested.

Only three (3) prior learning (non-traditional) credit hours may be earned after the student enrolls for any of the final 12 hours of credit toward a degree or certificate.

Semester hours of credit earned through prior learning (non-traditional) sources are assigned a grade of “P.” No quality points are earned, and such credit is not added into the student’s grade point average. Prior learning (non-traditional) credits are identified on the student’s transcript as credit granted through prior learning (nontraditional sources).

A maximum of 24 semester credit hours may be awarded from prior learning (non-traditional sources):
-Prior learning (non-traditional) credit cannot be awarded in a course that a student has previously completed or enrolled in at any college (excluding coursework completed before Academic Amnesty is declared for which the student earned a grade of “C” or higher).

No more than one-third of credits needed in Required Major Courses (those courses which require a minimum grade of “C”) may be obtained from prior learning (non-traditional sources).

Students who plan to use credit from prior learning (nontraditional sources) to meet the degree requirements of other institutions should check the requirements of the receiving institution, as this type of credit is often reevaluated by the receiving institution.

Advanced Placement

Advanced Placement refers to a college testing result that, once established criteria are met, allows first-semester freshmen, transfer students who have not attempted the next course in sequence at the former institution, and high school students enrolled in Dual Enrollment programs to receive college credits in certain English and mathematics courses without actually completing those courses. Such credit is contingent upon the submission of American College Testing (ACT) and ACCUPLACER scores that (a) meet the College’s criteria and (b) are no more than three (3) years old.

Additionally, first-time freshman and dual enrollment students are automatically considered for Advanced Placement credit if they enroll in the advanced course before the completion of thirty academic credits at Delgado. Transfer students who have not attempted the next course in sequence at the former institution must request Advanced Placement credit before the completion of thirty academic credits at Delgado.

The general policies concerning credit from non-traditional sources are applicable.

Criteria for Advanced Placement:

English

A student who has an ACT score in English of 25 or higher may receive Advanced Placement credit in ENGL 101 if he/she completes ENGL 102 with a grade of “C” or higher.

Or a student who has an ACCUPLACER score in English of 118 – 120 may receive Advanced Placement credit in ENGL 101 if he/she completes ENGL 102 with a grade of “C” or higher.

Mathematics

A student who has an ACT score in mathematics of 22-26 may receive Advanced Placement credit in MATH 120 if he/she completes MATH 128 or MATH130 with a grade of “C” or higher.

A student who has an ACT score in mathematics of at least 27 may receive Advanced Placement credit in MATH 130 if he/she completes MATH 131 with a grade of “C” or higher.

College Board Advanced Placement Credit

Delgado Community College may grant nontraditional credit for College Board Advanced Placement Examinations, which are taken prior to the student’s high school graduation.

The first-semester student who has taken a College Board AP Credit exam must have scored at least 3 to receive appropriate course credit. AP credit is subject to review by the division dean or representative of the course and approval by the Director of Advising and Testing. A student may not receive credit toward a degree solely on the basis of an Advanced Placement test score. The student must request that an original transcript from the College Board be sent to the Office of Advising and Testing for evaluation. College Board AP Credit scores are valid for three years from the original test date.

When AP credit is considered for placement purposes, the placement decision is made by the Department Head.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

Delgado Community College has been designated as a testing center for the College Level Examination Program (CLEP). Specific policies and procedures have been established for the granting of college credit from non-traditional sources:

Policies:

The general policies concerning credit from non-traditional sources are applicable.

Prior to taking a CLEP examination, the student must check with the division dean or academic counselor of his/her major to confirm that the credit is applicable to the student’s major.

The awarding of credit under CLEP is based upon two criteria:
-the standard scores recommended by the Commission on Educational Credit for the American Council on Education; and
-an essay graded by Delgado Community College faculty who teach in that subject area.

Specific course credit (course title and hours credit) is awarded by the Registrar’s Office.

Semester hours of credit earned by the CLEP examination are assigned a “P” grade. No quality points are earned. Such credit does not enter into grade point average computation.

Students who wish to transfer CLEP credits to Delgado must request that official score reports be sent to the Director of the Office of Advising and Testing.

Title Of CLEP Exam

DCC Course

Credit Hours

Western Civilization I
Western Civilization II
History of the United States I
History of the United States II
Freshman College Composition*
Analysis and Interpretation of Literature*
American Literature*
English Literature*
French Language
Spanish Language
Educational Psychology, Intro. to
Psychology, Intro.
Sociology, Intro.
American Government
Mathematics, College
Algebra, College
Trigonometry
Calculus
Biology
Chemistry
Accounting, Principles of
Macroeconomics, Principles of
Microeconomics, Principles of
Marketing, Principles of
Management, Principles of
Information System and Computer Applications

Delgado Community College requires a minimum score of 50 to receive credit for any CLEP exam.

* These exams, in addition to the standard computerized portion, require essays to be written for credit.

** Check with the department head or dean to verify which course credit will be granted for this exam.

Credit Examinations

Any Delgado student who believes he/she is qualified by experience, previous training, or non-credit coursework may request credit by examination. A student who wishes to apply for credit by examination should contact the division dean of the student’s major. Specific policies and procedures have been established for the granting of college credit from nontraditional sources:

Policies:

The general policies concerning credit from non-traditional sources are applicable.

A non-refundable fee of $10.00 per credit hour is charged prior to administration of the examination.

Administration of Credit Examinations must be completed by midterm.

To pass a Credit Examination, a student must demonstrate a minimum proficiency of 75% of all the competencies for the course.

A student who intends to use credit by examination to meet degree requirements of another institution should check the requirements of the receiving institution.

A student who wishes to take a Credit Examination for a by-passed course must take the examination by midterm of the semester in which the student is enrolled in the more advanced course.

A student who fails to meet the minimum proficiency (75%) on the Credit Examination will be administratively dropped from the sequential or higher level course. No refund will be granted.

Credit Examinations are approved by the division dean of the course and the division dean of the student’s major.

Credit Examinations are available only in courses offered at Delgado Community College.

A student may apply for credit by examination only twice in the same course.

A student may not take a Credit Examination in a course in which he/she has been or is currently enrolled, or which he/she has completed at any college.

A student who receives Academic Amnesty may request a Credit Examination for any course completed prior to receiving Academic Amnesty. A grade of “C” must have been earned in the course when it was taken prior to the granting of Academic Amnesty.

A student may not take a Credit Examination for a course that he/she has audited.

NOTE: Credit Examination grades must be reported to the Registrar’s Office by the division dean of the course no later than two weeks after midterm of the Spring/Fall semester.

Industry-Based Certification Credit

Any Delgado student who believes he/she is qualified for college credit due to completion of industry-based certifications should contact the Division Dean of the student’s major. These credits are typically referred to as credits for prior learning (non-traditional credits) and specific procedures relevant to awarding credit for an industry-based certification are required. A student who intends to use credit received from industry-based certification to meet degree requirements of another institution should check the requirements of the receiving institution.

Life Experience Assessment Program (LEAP)

The central principle in the Life Experience Assessment Program is that what a student knows is more important than how the student acquired the knowledge. In this program, Delgado Community College (a) gives students the opportunity to report what they know, or can do, in terms that relate to given college courses and then (b) assesses their knowledge or competence in those areas. If the student can demonstrate knowledge and skills in certain areas comparable to what a college-trained student knows in these same areas, equal credit is awarded.

Specific policies and procedures have been established for the granting of college credit from non-traditional sources.

Policies:

The general policies concerning credit from non-traditional sources are applicable.

LEAP credit is available only if the life experience warrants three (3) or more credit hours.

A non-refundable fee of $20.00 per credit hour is charged for the evaluation process, which includes a portfolio and/or documentation and demonstration of competencies.

For each applicant a review committee is established to verify that the student can demonstrate knowledge and skills in the requested area comparable to the knowledge and skills of a college-trained student in the same area.

The LEAP review committee should consist of the dean of the division from which credit is being requested, at least one faculty member with expertise in the relevant discipline, the Registrar’s designee, and any other expert or consultant deemed necessary to ensure fairness and equity to the student.

Through well documented portfolio and a demonstration of acquired competencies.

The portfolio should consist of documentation of the acquisition of those competencies deemed necessary for specific course content such as:

Awards

Course Content/Description (Credit or Non-credit) and Contact Hours

Drawings, Diagrams, Artwork, etc.

Work Experience Records and Job Description

Graduation Certificates

High School Co-op Work Experience Training Plan

Licensures/certifications

Narrative of Experiences

Letters of Recommendations/Testimony

Transcripts

Military Credits

Students who have earned credit through courses taken while in the Armed Services may apply for acceptance of these credits in the Admissions or Registrar’s Office.

Specific procedures have been established for the granting of college credit from nontraditional sources.

The general policies and procedures concerning credit from non-traditional sources are applicable.

In order for these credits to be evaluated, the student must:

Complete a “Request for Course Recommendation” form for each service school course completed;

Provide a DD Form 295, “Application for the Evaluation of Educational Experiences During Military Service” or “Application for the Evaluation of Learning Experiences During Military Service”;

Provide a DD Form 214, “Armed Forces of the United States Report of Transfer or Discharge”; and

Provide copies of any “Course Completion” certificates that the student has received, or other proof of having completed the course.

If these records are not available, the student should schedule an appointment with the Credential Evaluator in the Admissions Office (new students) or the Office Coordinator in the Registrar’s Office (currently enrolled students) to discuss alternative forms of documentation of credits earned.

Technical College Credit

Students who have attended a campus of the Louisiana Technical College since January 1992 may apply for credits based on work completed at the LTC prior to their enrolling at Delgado Community College. Faculty at Delgado Community College have reviewed the competencies included in these clock-hour courses and have established a crosswalk for the awarding of these credits. Specific procedures have been established for the granting of college credit from non-traditional sources:

Students who were enrolled at Louisiana Technical College in 1992 or later will be awarded credit based on their coursework at the LTC using the crosswalk established by the faculty in the various disciplines. These credits are being awarded using the non-traditional credit procedures in place at the College. These credits will be listed on the student’s Delgado academic transcript as “Technical College Credit”.

As with all non-traditional credit, all Technical College Credit will carry a grade of “P”. Specific grades are awarded only for courses transferred directly from another regionally accredited institution. Since the crosswalk for awarding credit from the LTC is based on competencies gained in more than one LTC course rather than on a course-to-course equivalency, it would be inappropriate to assign a letter grade for the credits awarded. Credits awarded are subject to the limitations on total hours of non-traditional credit and hours in a student’s major as listed in the College Catalog

Students who wish to avail themselves of this avenue for earning credits should complete the application form which is available in the Admissions Office. The form must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar for processing.

Note: Students who were enrolled at the LTCNO on July 1, 1997, when the institution merged with Delgado Community College, will not be subject to the limits placed on the number of hours that can be earned and used to meet degree requirements through the nontraditional credit procedure.

Correspondence Credits

Delgado Community College offers no correspondence courses. Students who wish to use credit from correspondence courses taken at other regionally accredited institutions to meet degree or certificate requirements must receive the permission of their division dean and the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs prior to registering for the correspondence course. A maximum of three (3) hours of correspondence credit may be applied toward a certificate or degree. These hours count as part of the total hours of non-traditional credits applicable toward a degree or certificate.

No more than three (3) hours of credit earned through any non-traditional source (or at any other institution) may be used to fulfill the last 15 hours of coursework needed to complete a degree/certificate at Delgado.

Non-Traditional Credits From Other Institutions

Delgado Community College accepts nontraditional credits that have been awarded by other regionally accredited institutions. These credits have the same limitations in their use in meeting graduation requirements as do nontraditional credit earned at Delgado Community College and will be used in computing the total hours of non-traditional credit for which a student is eligible.